Parks and Recreation Management, Bachelor of Science

Overview

In addition to University Requirements:

• At least 54 units of major requirements
• At least 18 units of minor, emphasis, or individualized study requirements

• Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy Liberal Studies requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements

• Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units

Please note that students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Minimum Units for Completion	120
Major GPA	C
Highest Mathematics Required	STA 270
Fieldwork Experience/Internship	Required
University Honors Program	Optional
Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan	Optional
AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A	Recommended
Progression Plan Link	View Progression Plan
Emphasis, Minor, or Coursework Required	An emphasis, minor, or coursework is required for this major.

Purpose Statement

The Northern Arizona University (NAU), Parks and Recreation Management faculty, staff and students are committed to promoting successful professional careers, service learning, active healthy life-styles, life-long education, global awareness, and creating meaningful social connections between individuals and their surrounding environment.

• Success as Professionals: We believe in equipping our students with essential entry level professional skills which lead to successful careers in parks, recreation, tourism or related organizations.
• Service Learning: We believe in integrating teaching and learning experiences through meaningful community service focusing on civic responsibility and strengthening communities.
• Global Awareness: We believe in creating opportunities, awareness and experiences focused on diversity, international travel, and education.
• Life-Long Education: We believe individuals who continually engage in new recreation and leisure experiences learn new skills and gain valuable knowledge and help promote positive aspects of human existence.
• Connection to others and the Environment: We believe that the human condition of compassion for others and the surrounding environment can be fostered and supported through participation in leisure activities which raise awareness of overall inter-connectedness and thereby creating a more sustainable future.
• Healthy Life-Styles: We believe that involvement in leisure and recreation activities leads to decision making for better balanced healthy life-styles, effectively lowering illness (both physical and psychological), and allows people to live more rewarding and fulfilled lives

 
Student Learning Outcomes

Outcomes align with Standards from the Council on Accreditation for Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions
 
Students graduating from the program shall:

• Demonstrate the following entry-level knowledge: a) the nature and scope of the relevant park, recreation, tourism or related professions and their associated industries; b) techniques and processes used by professionals and workers in these industries; and c) the foundation of the profession in history, science and philosophy.
• Demonstrate the ability to design, implement, and evaluate services that facilitate targeted human experiences and that embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity.
• Demonstrate the ability to design, implement, and evaluate services that facilitate targeted human experiences and that embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity.
• Demonstrate, through a comprehensive internship of not less than 400 clock hours and no fewer than 10 weeks, the potential to succeed as professionals at supervisory or higher levels in park, recreation, tourism, or related organizations.  The PRM program expects to accomplish these outcomes in the following ways

 
Community, Commercial & Tourism Emphasis
Students within this emphasis will have the ability to:

• Create, organize, identify sponsors, market, implement and evaluate large community events
• Describe the fundamental concepts and principles of ecotourism and sustainable development as it relates to transportation, lodging and cultural impacts.
• Use accounting and budgeting practices to prepare, analyze and interpret financial statements
• Respond to budgetary constraints while achieving the positive guest outcomes
• Develop, use and evaluate appropriate and effective strategies to address cultural differences, values and expectations in the planning and implementation of recreation programming.
• Plan, design and operate recreation facilities and adjoining areas to increase tourism, commercial, and community benefits
• Design programming in a manner that best promotes cultural and environmental awareness.

 
Outdoor Education & Leadership Emphasis
Students within this emphasis will have the ability to:

• Make critical decisions related to injury and illness prevention, assessment, treatment and evacuation of patient(s), through application of wilderness first responder training, in response to medical and outdoor emergencies, while in wilderness and other remote backcountry settings.
• Implement the basic hard and soft skills necessary to competently lead others in outdoor environments of the Southwest with a focus on canyon terrain.
• Develop experiential curriculum lesson plans and effectively deliver to a pre-determined audience in a wilderness environment.
• Lead Leave No Trace Trainer Courses and Awareness Workshops within the standards of the Leave No Trace Master Educator certification
• Analyze an in-depth case study of an outdoor non-profit organization and/or for-profit company of their choosing.

Park Protection Emphasis
Students within this emphasis will have the ability to:

• Make critical decisions related to injury and illness prevention, assessment, treatment and evacuation of patient(s), through application of wilderness first responder training, in response to medical and outdoor emergencies, while in wilderness and other remote backcountry settings.
• Articulate the functions of park operations, management and protection in the United States in terms of its historical roots, structure, and contemporary issues.
• Analyze and evaluate Federal regulations protecting America’s natural resources
• Examination of the evolution of environmental laws regulating the consumptive and non-consumptive uses of plants, wildlife and fish
• Apply the basic precepts of criminal law, authority and jurisdiction in the protection of state and national parks
• Acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities in law enforcement tactics (e.g., firearms, physical control techniques, emergency vehicle operations)

Finally, students will have developed a personal signature leadership style that is situationally appropriate for effectively leading others in a backcountry setting.